Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Male or Female Parrotlet As a Pet

Hello my name is Meg and I have been trying to get some info or advice on whether to get a male or a female parrotlet. I can't find the answer online so I wondered if you might help. My worry is that the male will get aggressive when he gets to the stage where he wants to mate, I had a female parrotlet for a few days before I gave her to a friend and her personality was wonderful, but now I am feeling conflicted because my breeders newest clutch has 2 blue males and 1 blue female so far and we don't know what the 4th baby is yet. I read online that males can tend to be a little more outgoing and nippy and females are a little more down to earth. Since you are a breeder what do you think? I think I should listen to my gut about getting a female I am just worried that I will only have the one female to pick and wonder if I should consider one of the males if I like its personality. I am just worried about later down the road. Any response would be appreciated.

Dear Meg:

Thank you for your email. It is important to remember that just like with people, dogs or any other living creature all animals are individuals and no one can really predict what kind of personality any particular animal is going to have just based on things like species or sex. Parrotlets are not domesticated birds like parakeets or cockatiels and therefore still rely predominantly on their natural, wild instincts rather than having been bred to accommodate human tolerances. Parrotlet personalities are based primarily on the bird’s own individual personality – some birds naturally prefer other birds and others will accept human companionship – and imprinting. Imprinting is the process where wild characteristics are overshadowed by imprinting desired behaviors. Many people call this ‘socializing’ or ‘bonding’ but really it is simply acclimating the bird to overcome its natural instincts such as escaping from humans to enjoying being around and accepting human contact. As someone who has bred parrotlets exclusively for almost 30 years I can tell you that the way was raised, handled and socialized by the breeder is a much greater indication of how a bird is going to be as a pet as opposed to sex or species.



That being said, both males and females can and do have issues with hormones as well as natural metabolic processes – again, it is about their basic instincts for survival in the wild and not because they have been programmed for captivity by selective breeding. Males and females can be territorial, particularly with regard to their cages – this is very natural behavior for all species and genders of parrotlets. Same with certain times of the year where things like molting happens. Again, both sexes have the ability to become aggressive and nippy. Indeed, all birds can become nippy based on a variety of reasons - I always tell people if you really want to get a bird that won’t nip or bite, get a canary and never take it out of the cage. Otherwise, just like with dogs or any other animal, its personality largely depends on the bird itself, how it was raised and socialized and how it was trained by the owner.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely yours,
Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.
The Parrotlet Ranch, Owner, www.parrotletranch.com

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